Welcome to Be You Skincare,

Be You Skincare is a reflection of my own personal journey towards peace, rest, authenticity, natural beauty, simplicity and most importantly a sense of purpose. I have always felt compelled to make a difference in the world – to bring a little bit of sunshine into people's lives. Considering that my own life was so broken and seemingly dark, this personal mission was often challenged by circumstances and wrong choices – trying to escape, but inevitably running in the wrong direction.

It was only when I finally heard a voice beckoning me to “Be Still and trust in Me” that I realized that despite my best intentions, my inner storm had to be calmed before I could ever be of any help, inspiration or significance to anyone else. As part of the journey I was drawn to the simplicity of nature – no striving, no stress, no anxiety – only trust, respect, order and somehow an acknowledgement of a force much more powerful and able to provide all that is required to sustain life.

My journey led me to an awakening where I could see and become aware of the clutter in my life, in my relationships, in my home, in my family, in my wardrobe, in my eating habits, my exercise regime, my health and beauty routines and suddenly in my deeper being, my thoughts, my beliefs, my motives, my need to have a life of purpose, my identity.

I had to let go, clean up and seriously simplify. One of my most challenging but ultimately most rewarding challenges was the simplification of my health and beauty routine – little did I know that my external attempt to look presentable and beautiful was a direct reflection of an inner battle of self-rejection and dislike. 

At that moment both time and money suddenly disappeared and I was left wondering how I was going to sustain my masked existence……..in His great and glorious awesomeness God instructed me to explore the items in my household as a replacement for multiple expensive and mostly ineffective beauty products that I had accumulated over the years. My skin was extremely sensitive but also oily/combination and my years of teenage sun exposure were starting to show some signs of skin damage.

I started reading about the story of Esther in the bible and how she spent 12 months being perfumed and anointed with heavenly oils in preparation for her encounter with the king. I was captivated and the idea of using skin care oils was birthed. Several months of trials and error and my sensitive skin started to normalize and to glow, the oiliness gradually disappeared and I can now confidently state that I have a healthy, beautiful skin. The use of this oil became so much fun and a part of my daily life as I was being challenged to let go of old beliefs about skin care routines, skin care products, skin conditions, etc. etc. and I recognized many parallels within my belief system about other areas in my life. I started using the oil on my hands, my feet, my body, my hair, in the bath, on my children…even my husband started using the raw unscented product to help alleviate his extremely dehydrated skin condition that resulted from his passion for outdoor sports.

Be You Skincare oil is not just a 100% natural and pure, multiple use healing and treatment beauty oil, it is a journey of awareness, of getting back to the basics, of taking the time to take care of ourselves, it’s about being still and knowing that He is God and that He has a plan and a purpose for every single one of us, it is about being still enough to perceive the noise, the clutter, the voices, the constant pressure to perform, the expectations of others, the race to survive, the confusion, the constant exhaustion...... the never-ending storm........and choosing to walk away from it – with Him leading the way.

Have the courage to rest for a little while, to give yourself space to breathe, to be healed, to be covered by His love, to listen to His gentle voice as He leads you into your life’s purpose.

Start by simply BEING You.

Charmaine and Wouter, with their beautiful daughter Josephine.

I find myself at the age of almost 45 utterly grateful for what the Lord has done in my life. I have come to realize and experience that His mercies truly are new every morning and His faithfulness is great!

My name is Charmaine. I come from a childhood of rejection, verbal abuse and intense fear and trauma.....circumstances that destroyed my self confidence and self-worth and led me to an unfulfilled life of self-abuse, shame, guilt, anger and intense fear of relationships. I built high walls around myself and never dared to dream.....always setteling for second best believing that I would not amount to much.

Things started to change when I gave my life to Jesus in 1999. Journeying with Jesus has been very tough at times yet so rewarding and worth it! He produces strong character and endurance in us that will last a lifetime. The past 20 years He has taught me to keep my eyes fixed on His face. To trust and obey Him even when I don't feel like it and to stay the path on which He has called me. The Word says that we will have trouble in this lifetime but Jesus has overcome the world.....we have the victory!

Since I can remember I have had a heart for women. Why do we as God's beautiful princesses habitually compare ourselves to each other and almost always fall short? We never feel good enough, thin enough, beautiful enough, clever enough..... Why do we allow the world to dictate to us who we are if we can truly only find our identity in Christ? Our Creator has always had the perfect plan and purpose for each one of our lives. We simply have to be still and know that He is God. Finding rest in Him will allow our lives to fall into perfect harmony with His perfect plan. My prayer is that every daughter of the King will learn to embrace her uniqueness, pour her heart and soul into reaching her full potential in Christ Jesus and become the person He created her to be. He has so much more for each one of us but we must take the first step of faith and allow Him to heal us from the inside out.

I took such a step of faith (aged 39) when God sent my husband, Wouter across my path. What a kind and gentle soul.....God knows what we need. We got married soon thereafter and was blessed with a beautiful baby girl called Josephine (meaning: Jehovah will add). God is indeed a God of adding more to our lives than we could ever hope for or imagine. I dare you to dream big and to give Him your everything! Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart.

In the year 2000 I went to live in Cape Town where through a Devine Appointment I met my dear friend Michelle (owner of Be You Skincare). I consider it a privilege and an honor to be in partnership with this beautiful sister in Christ as I start my Be You Skincare brand journey in South Africa.

If God asks you to put something down it is because He wants you to pick up something greater!